If you can’t wait until 2010, you can own a 2009 plug in Toyota Prius right now. The car is being auctioned off on Ebay right now with proceeds to benefit the non profit awareness group Plug in America. The car is a brand new 2009 Toyota Prius with all available options, and the professionally installed A123 Hymotion Plugin Hybrid Kit. This kit does not void the factory Toyota warranty.

The car has a pure electric mode of about 40 miles and an estimated 100-150 MPG. So if you want to be the first person in your city with a plug in Prius, head over and check out the live auction here. There are 7 days left and the current bid is $42,000.

Photos of the 2010 Toyota Prius leaked out on the Internet this morning. Details remain sketchy but Toyota has indeed confirmed that these are the real pictures of the popular Prius model. They go on to say “This new Prius will retain all of the virtues of the model that precedes it. It’s about the same size as its forebear, but with more interior room and better fuel economy. But you expected nothing less, right?”

Bigger and better mileage is always a good thing, especially when they will be going head to head with the Honda Insight.

Taking a page out of the T. Boone Pickens plan, Toyota is announcing a mass produced version of their popular Toyota Camry to run on compress natural gas (CNG). Toyota is set to unveil the CNG Camry at the Los Angeles auto show next month. Toyota has show increased interest in CNG going forward; “We are confirming our interest in pursuing CNG within our R&D scope”, says Irv Miller of Toyota. He goes on to say “With the combination of plentiful long-term supplies in North America, improved and more efficient recovery methods, favorable pricing and clean-burn, low emissions characteristics, CNG has become a prime energy source for the future”.

Currently Honda is the only car maker to offer a CNG vehicle model with its Civic GX NGV.

Discussion and continues to swirl that Toyota is considering making the Prius its own brand, much like the successful Lexus and Scion spin offs. With a high brand loyalty of owners and outstanding name recognition in the hybrid “green” space, this would seem to be another winning move for Toyota.

According to Toyota North American sales chief Jim Lentz, “”You could have a series of derivatives under the Prius brand name that would allow you to market product at a much lower cost. “There is a definite desire for us to do that.”

Toyota expects to sell 175,000 Prius hybrids this year, but is hoping to ramp that figure up to 1 million a year by early next decade. “”To do that effectively, I think we need dedicated hybrids and I would prefer them under the Prius name,” Lentz continued.

By having their own brand, Prius could expand the current line to offer many models including smaller sportier options as well as larger, possibly even a Prius SUV. Toyota would continue to make hybrid models of certain cars, like the Camry, so not all hybrids would fall under the Prius brand.

According to a source at Toyota, they are moving up their scheduled delivery of Prius plug in hybrid cars from 2010 to 2009. These will be for commercial fleets and no timetable is set for retail sale of the plug in.